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Monthly Archives: July 2016

Feeling at a loss, I find myself again turning to a phrase from a poem by Torei Enji, a student of the 18th century Zen master Hakuin, the Zen master famous for, among other things, offering the koan of the sound of one hand. In Torei Enji’s poem, he remarks (in my loose translation) that all things in the world cannot help but shine with their boundlessness and potential for compassion. Then he says, “Realizing this, our ancestors gave reverent care to animals, birds, and all beings.”

The phrase I find myself returning to is “reverent care.” It seems like a good way to approach one’s fellow Americans this week. Someone is grieving? Show them reverent care. Someone is angry? Show them reverent care. Someone is espousing views I find hateful and bigoted? Show them reverent care, despite strong disagreement, which if it is expressed at all, should be carefully worded. Practice the compassion you wish were more prevalent in the world.

Reverent care is a higher standard than mere tolerance. Torei Enji isn’t suggesting that we merely tolerate the undesirable things in the world and the people we disagree with, as though grudgingly accepting the existence of others who are different from us would somehow lead to a more just and benevolent world, a world with less suffering. Rather, he’s suggesting that we revere everyone and everything, and find a way to live our lives with this compassion continually in our hearts.

Something I like about this approach is that it offers a small but readily available first step for moving forward after a week of gut-wrenching news. I can carry reverence in my heart now, and use it to guide my actions in every setting: at my desk, in the car, at the grocery store—everywhere. Anger can spur us on to effect change, but if we’re really going to solve the longstanding problems of race and violence in this country, we’re going to have to have something in our hearts besides anger. Perhaps reverence should be one of the things we always carry with us.